1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hand-held tool for guiding sheet metal. More particularly, the present invention relates to a hand-held tool for guiding an integral piece of sheet metal into a pair of sheet metal connectors positioned end-to-end and oriented at an angle relative to each other.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore it has been conventional to employ duct connectors, which used screws, bolts, clips, drives, and other external hardware to connect ducts end-to-end. The prior art connectors also required use of welding and metal working tools of various kinds.
These prior art techniques made installation of rectangular air conditioning ducts slow and laborious. Furthermore, in service, these connectors permitted leakage of conditioned air under pressure in air conditioning systems.
Thus, there existed a need for a duct connector that makes installation of rectangular air conditioning ducts fast and not laborious and which does not permit leakage of conditioned air under pressure in air conditioning systems.
This need has been met by a sheet metal connector for joining two pieces of sheet metal together end-to-end that we teach in a copending application. A first wall and a second wall define a first channel therebetween, into which a ledge extends, and which lockingly receives one piece of sheet metal, by virtue of at least one reverse button lock on a raw free end of the one piece of sheet metal snapingly engaging against the ledge. A third wall terminates in a free edge that is folded onto itself, and together with the first wall, defines a second channel therebetween that lockingly receives the other piece of sheet metal, by virtue of at least one reverse button lock on a raw free end of the other piece of sheet metal snapingly engaging against the folded free edge of the third wall.
When a pair of these sheet metal connectors are positioned end-to-end and oriented at an angle relative to each other so as to form a corner and are both intended to lockingly receive an integral piece of sheet metal, then there exists a need for a hand-held tool that will guide the integral piece of sheet metal into the first channels of both of the sheet metal connectors simultaneously, at the corner.
Numerous innovations for hand-held guiding tools have been provided in the prior art. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they differ from the present invention in that they do not teach a hand-held tool for guiding an integral piece of sheet metal into a pair of sheet metal connectors positioned end-to-end and oriented at an angle relative to each other, and would therefore be not suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.
ACCORDINGLY, AN OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a hand-held tool for guiding an integral piece of sheet metal into a pair of sheet metal connectors positioned end-to-end and oriented at an angle relative to each other that avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.
ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a hand-held tool for guiding an integral piece of sheet metal into a pair of sheet metal connectors positioned end-to-end and oriented at an angle relative to each other that is simple to use.
BRIEFLY STATED, STILL ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a hand-held tool for guiding an integral piece of sheet metal into a pair of sheet metal connectors positioned end-to-end and oriented at an angle relative to each other so as to form a corner. Each sheet metal connector has a pair of spaced-apart walls that define a channel therebetween for receiving the integral piece of sheet metal and a flange that extends outwardly from one wall thereof. The tool includes a handle and a blade that extends axially from the handle. The blade is shaped for inserting into the channel of each of the pair of sheet metal connectors simultaneously, at the corner, and defining with the other wall of each of the pair of sheet metal connectors a converging pathway for guiding the integral piece of sheet metal into the channel of each of the pair of sheet metal connectors simultaneously, at the corner.